For years commercial districts in Buffalo have been looking for ways to alleviate the issue of people posting slingers (flyers) on lamp posts. It’s a controversial subject that has been argued to death by both sides. People who post the slingers contend that there is no other place to post them. People who take the slingers down state that those who post them are not considerate enough to come back and take them down, ultimately leaving lamp posts looking like garbage.
The Elmwood Village Association (EVA) believes that it has come up with a solution that will hopefully appease both sides of the dilemma. The EVA has commissioned Griffis Studios to create way-finding billboards that double as information kiosks. On one side, people are permitted to tack up slingers and posters, and on the other side current maps of the area are tacked up, along with EVA sponsored/promoted events and programming. It’s a win-win for Elmwood.
We all know that this will not put a stop to those who feel that they must adhere their slingers to lamp poles. At the same time, this recent addition does give the people who take down the slingers a legit reason/ammo for doing so. Personally, I’m happy to see these way-finding, slinger-sticking kiosks added to the Elmwood streetscape on high profile corners such as Bidwell (seen here). A similar installation by architect Brad Wales was installed at the corner of Elmwood and North years ago, and is still effective to this day.
These kiosk installations were made possible thanks to grant funding from a NY Main Street grant.